Unit 8 · Food & shoppingA1Lesson 4 of 5: At the market
Shopping at the market in European Portuguese
This is lesson 4 of 5 in Unit 8, Food & shopping (Comida e compras), an A1 unit in which you buy food at the market, say what you like and order at a restaurant. It teaches 8 words and phrases, including quanto custa (how much does it cost), caro (expensive) and barato (cheap), and uses them in 10 example sentences. The unit’s grammar notes cover “Comer, beber, preferir” and “Gosto de…: saying what you like”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
quanto custaalso quanto é que custa | how much does it costFor more than one thing: quanto custam. |
caroalso cara | expensive |
baratoalso barata | cheap |
o cêntimo | centThere are 100 cêntimos in a euro. |
comprar | to buy |
pagar com cartão | to pay by card |
o quilo | kiloHalf a kilo is meio quilo. |
o euro | euro |
Example sentences
- Quanto custa?How much is it?
- Quanto custam as maçãs?How much are the apples?Use custam for more than one thing.
- O quilo custa dois euros.A kilo costs two euros.
- Eu queria meio quilo de tomate, se faz favor.I'd like half a kilo of tomatoes, please.At the market, tomate is often used in the singular, like "rice".
- É muito caro!It's very expensive!
- As laranjas estão baratas hoje.The oranges are cheap today.Prices change, so Portuguese often uses estar: estão baratas.
- Eu vou ao mercado comprar fruta.I'm going to the market to buy fruit.
- Posso pagar com cartão?Can I pay by card?Posso…? means "Can I…?"
- São três euros e cinquenta cêntimos.That's three euros and fifty cents.Prices use são because euros are plural. People often drop cêntimos.
- Quer um saco?Do you want a bag?O saco is a bag. Shop assistants often ask this, because bags cost extra.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 8: Food & shopping: